The Undertaker Reveals The Real Reason He Never Went To Hollywood

The Undertaker has had a long and illustrious career that’s spanned thirty years. Although it is still hard to believe that ‘The Deadman‘ has retired, his impact on the world of sports entertainment is unmatched.

Despite his unusually long career, Taker is famous for his loyalty. Throughout his career, he never left WWE/F when many of his seniors and contemporaries ventured into Hollywood or other rival companies.

In a recent interview with The Guardian, ‘The Phenom’ revealed how it was pivotal for him to hide his true self as a part of Kayfabe. As a shy young man from Texas, he preferred silence, both in reel and reality.

He said, “There was always the little guy on my shoulder telling me I shouldn’t be talking. It’s strange, even to this day, I’ll catch myself pausing, feeling guarded, questioning whether I should stay quiet.” 

From the beginning of his career as ‘Mean Mark’ in WCW, Taker knew wrestling was his calling. While superstars like The Rock and Hulk Hogan halted their career and ventured into Hollywood, Calaway never felt the need to do so.

“The way I looked at it,” he said, “I was living my dream. I didn’t have aspirations to take it to a level then go to Hollywood. I loved every aspect of the industry and wanted to continue to help it grow.”

The Undertaker saw the evolution of wrestling into sports entertainment

Like we mentioned earlier, Mark Calaway started his wrestling career in WCW. He came to WWF and started his tenure as the now-iconic Undertaker.

However, back then, maintaining the “character” was immensely important. As Taker explained, “People who aren’t fans have a lot of preconceived ideas about wrestling. “Back in the old days, if someone said it was fake, you’d get mad and upset.”

In today’s times, WWE is not eager or strict about maintaining kayfabe. In the age of social media, WWE Superstars show a glimpse of their real lives. WWE, too, ventured into reality TV shows with its superstars.

Taker saw this change first hand, “As I’ve matured, I’ve learned I don’t need to [get upset]. Today, everyone knows what wrestling is. You get a bit of every genre of entertainment: drama, comedy, incredible athleticism. We’ve come out: we’re sports entertainment. The product has evolved into a global juggernaut,” – WWE airs in more than 800m households across 180 countries – “and not by chance.”

However, The Undertaker maintained his character throughout his career as he never gave out interviews or promotions. He only appeared in charity events. Hopefully, the ‘Deadman’ can finally rest in peace.